Earlier today we sent out a tweet about using analogies in Project Management written by, Project Management Solutions, a US based Project Management college.

Within an hour, we were looking up the author so that we could let him know we had tweeted him - always a good idea as it can help build relationships on your social media accounts. Our tweet appeared in the Google serps.

Heather is always advocating Brighton as being one of the best places in the world for event photography; she was recently quoted in the Argus after her “British Life” photography award for saying so. Heather has been thinking of organising some event photography courses for a while. It’s something she has had great experience in. She has been running the Street Photography course in Brighton and has it off to a fine art. Learn invaluable photography tips during the day, have some fun, and take advantage of the opportunities that Fringe City, an annual Brighton Fringe event, provides.

There will only be two courses running during the Brighton Fringe Festival. They will take place on the 3rd and the 16th May. Delegates will start at Silicon Beach Training, where they will look at and discuss some of her favourite techniques, and how they might be achieved.

All the action is just down the road, so you can go down and warm up before the characters arrive, have a go at shooting before having lunch at a pre-booked cafe.

Places will be restricted to 6, Heather has a timetable prepared so everyone gets some time, more shooting takes place after lunch before taking the images back to Silicon Beach for reviews and a demonstration of Heather’s favourite processing tips.

Are you thinking of using social media campaigns to engage with your customers?

Looking for advice on how to create a successful social media campaign?

Social media campaigns have evolved from simple Facebook contests and Twitter competitions into fully integrated promotional campaigns spanning several social networks. Think Chipotle’s Scarecrow campaign or Dove’s hugely shared viral video campaigns. Of course much of these campaigns have come from big brands with resources that a small business would be hard pressed to match. Some campaigns like the ice bucket challenge evolve virally, but with a little planning there is no reason why your social media campaign can’t reach audiences beyond your demographic.

Creating your Social Media Campaign Plan

So you've been tasked to develop a social media campaign.

You use Facebook to connect with your friends but not much more than that. You follow celebrities on Twitter but you don’t have a clue about promoted tweets or the best hashtags to use. Your boss says “we need to get on Ello, Instagram is hot and we just have to be on Bubbly don’t we?” Would you know how to get started?

A planned campaign is a successful campaign. A plan keeps you focused on the number of steps you’ll need to take along the way.

So how do you actually plan an engaging social media campaign with very little resources and not much time? Good question - one that we can help you answer in 7 simple steps to planning a social media campaign.

By now you probably will have heard the news that 'cinemagraphs' are coming to Facebook ads. If you haven't heard of a cinemagraph before then take a moment to appreciate the almost-hypnotic power of a Yellowstone waterfall from footage captured in a video 'Echoes in the Canyon' by David Hollandsworth.

Credit: Reddit user 'BigMurph26'

What is a 'Cinemagraph'?

A cinemagraph is usually video that, through image editing software has been converted into a sequential, looping gif. The creator has edited the video so that large portions of the image are stabilised and selected sections are kept mobilised. We expect marketers will take advantage of Facebook's autoplay function for videos. I personally believe that cinemagraphs will become the greatest aesthetic marketing tool to hit Facebook in recent years.

Cinemagraphs have been around since 2011 when Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg created the method to advertise their fashion photography. It doesn't take a trained eye to see why cinemagraphs are so effective. I imagine the Twitter and Tumblr users amongst us will be no strangers to the occasional 'living image'. Animated .gif's have long been an art form on Tumblr - almost exclusively (until now).

Twitter technically supports animated gifs. In reality, they have been converted into MP4 video and must be clicked on to be viewed. No surprises that they often don't take off.

Use these step by step instructions to sort your lists with maximum efficiency in Excel.

Sorting Lists

Excel can sort columns into order alphabetically and numerically. You can perform a single column sort of multi column sort.

The Sort command can be found on the Home tab under the Editing group.

Important: When setting up the list, include a set of column headings (as example below). These are used to control the sort columns. The list must be sequential, i.e. no row gaps from the top of the list to bottom.

Single Column Sort

Click into a cell in the column that you wish to sort by, as in the example below the First Name column.

You've been here before, the last time you and the client spoke you didn't exactly see eye to eye. Now months of negotiations are at risk and potentially big figures in profit too.

Stop.

Don't make that call. Re-evaluate where you are in negotiations and see what you can take from these killer tips to close that deal.

Negotiations are all about your relationship with the client. If you're seeing your role in negotiations as an opportunity to make money at the expense of the client then you're looking at it all the wrong way. Negotiations are professional relationships. Benefits should and can be mutually profitable whilst retaining a relationship with a client that will last years.

Our Negotiation Skills training will give you the knowledge and tools necessary to be able to conduct any negotiation as a competitive and collaborative negotiation.

A good deal might not revive a bad relationship, but a good relationship can revive a bad deal.

When you ask any group of workers what motivates them to come to work, at least one and probably most will include 'money' in the response. Pay is a big issue for most people and is certainly a reason why people go to work, even sometimes staying in jobs they don't like. But is it a motivator?

Herzberg's Two Factor Theory suggests that there are two different sets of factors that determine job dissatisfaction and job satisfaction.

Are you, like countless many others, sitting on an inbox of hundreds, maybe even thousands of unread emails? Or are you wondering why only one hundred of the nine hundred and fifty three newsletters you sent out Tuesday weren't opened?

If you’re struggling to get your emails read they probably share something in common with the unread emails in your own inbox.

Poor Subject Lines

"But surely if the content is great then my subject line won’t even matter?"

Somewhere hidden in the depths of your junk folder there is a quality article or offer relevant to you that you have missed.

The Johari Window model, devised by American Psychologists Ingham and Luft during a research period at the University of Los Angeles in 1955, is a behavioural model which aims to boost group relations through individual self awareness and mutual (group) understanding.

The model is a combination of the first names of Joseph Luft and Hari Ingham; they’re remembered over fifty years later which shows what good workplace relationships can achieve.

The Johari Window model is particularly useful in assessing group relations with other parties. Despite being published over fifty years ago, the model is still relevant in the work place today. This is due to current popular workplace emphasis on cooperation, inter-group development, interpersonal development, soft skills, behaviour and the influence of these factors.

The ease of using the Johari Window Model to understand relationships between employees and the employer within the Psychological Contract is an invaluable benefit to businesses.

What Does The Johari Window Mean?

The model is, on the face of it, is as simple as it appears. Its application in the workplace is slightly more tricky, but we’ll get to that later.